The short story: YES! You, your doctor and your electrologist are members of your hair removal team.
The long story:
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of excess hair growth & hirsutism* in women.
While excess hair & hirsutism itself are not a serious medical condition, they may well be the symptom of an underlying cause for concern. The most important point to note is that, if you are a woman with unusual and excessive hair growth you must seek proper medical advice from your physician prior to or in tandem with any hair removal treatment. About half of all cases of unwanted female hair growth are due to high levels of “male” androgen hormones.
A variety of factors influence the exact quantification of the results of electrolysis in facial hirsutism:
Hirsutism is a dynamic process. Interesting fact, at birth there are 1000 follicles per square centimeter in the facial area and no new hair follicles are developed after birth. However, follicles may continue to be activated throughout life by new androgen production and also fine hairs may be converted to dark/coarse hairs. The rate of hair growth in any given individual also tends to fluctuate for unknown reasons. The average person has 1,000 follicles per square inch. However, that does not mean one grows 1,000 hairs. Where a man may have 100, to 500 visible hairs in a square inch, a woman may have 0 to 25. You must understand that hormonal problems (like PCOS) work in such a way as to activate previously inactive follicles to start growing hair.....where they never grew them before!The severity of the problem defines how long it takes for inactive follicles to be activated, and how many at a time are stimulated in that term. So, until one arrests the problem that is causing new hair follicles to activate, one will continuously gain new hairs.
BUT THERE IS HOPE!!!
Prescribed medication can be used to treat the symptoms and redress the hormone imbalance causing the hirsutism (e.g. oral contraceptive pills containing antiandrogenics or topical creams).
Once one's hormones are balanced, your electrologist can begin and/or continue the work of permanent hair removal.
So the answer is YES....electrolysis can work for you!
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*Hirsutism can be caused by either an increased level of androgens, or an oversensitivity of hair follicles to those androgens. Although androgens are considered “male” hormones, women also have and need them, but in smaller quantities.
-Beth